The Liturgy: April 2004 Archives

I will hand the choir direction duties off to one of the able students who pitch in when I am gone, yet this time I will remain and preside and preach at the Eucharist. And yes, I will sing everything.

Fr. Larry Heiman, C.PP.S. is a treasure. I studied music under him back in the '80s and for the last several years have attempted to participate in his Chant Institute.

It is now or never. With the fact that I am taking on the pastorate of a parish on August 1st I may never have the opportunity again. Fr. Heiman isn't getting any younger either.

So it starts on June 19th and our Assembly out in California ends on the 18th. I will do my best. Now I have recieved the highest honor. As I am sitting here listing to Fr. Heiman's last chant CD, I recieve an email from him asking me to serve on the next one to be recorded June 30th. Cool!!!

There goes vacation, but when would I have a chance to do that again? Stay tuned for information about the Chant CD of Lent and Triduum chants that will be recorded.

I have enough to do at the moment, but added to the mix is the search for a music minister for the parish. The Current director gave Fr. Finley two weeks notice after Easter. He has taken a job closer to home. I already have one blogger out there applying for the job. I hope to have someone in place by June. I become pastor on August 1st.

I have noticed a so-called Catholic news service article that bemoans the fact that it took more than a year and will probably be a disappointment. Unfortunately I am coming to my own conclusion that not all Catholic News Services are created equally and the buyer must beware.

I especially appreciate the measures approach that this blogger is taking.

I would encourage all to read the document, to check your expectations at the door, and to recieve the teaching with an open and humble heart. I will try to do the same.

[update: the link to that Phoenix newspaper may not work. It only works for me half the time. You can try it again, or go to the Blogger's website and try the link from there. Blogger's links are not working so scroll down to "Parish Profile"]

Here is a sign of a vibrant community. They have been spending a year building a small chapel for adoration. The new monstrance, donated by a friend of the community, arrived recently. The Calvert House Community at the University of Chicago is truly blessed. It is one of the places I will miss here in Chicago.

Easter lasts for 50 days. Lent seems to have captured the imagination more than the Easter Season has. The fasting and works of charity of Lent seem to take center stage more readily than Easter practices. I am curious what readers out there are doing to observe the Easter Season. Leave your comments and suggestions in the comments box.

I have been in many liturgical settings where the Becker Litany was used. It has always been very confusing and artificial sounding to get in extra saints, like Saint Gaspar del Bufalo and Saint Maria de Mattias in the Becker Litany, and I have never seen it prayed successfully.

a great choir to work with
chanting the Exsultet
Victimae Paschali Laudes, That is Patrick to my right.
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Dinner for 150. This year I roasted six legs of lamb, Fr. Mike had the pork, the Lituanian and Polish Sausages, and the Ham. The Jesuits brought the vegetables.
My sister visiting for Easter

It seems the the most comments on the Good Friday post were about the vesture. I got this wonderful email from Br. Michael who has chanted the speaker parts these past two years"

....your "blog friend" Maureen is a tough liturgical cookie. I was amused by her comments on the vesture for Good Friday. I believe "choir dress" is the proper vestment for Good Friday. The Ceremonial of Bishops #66 states "Presbyters who take part in a liturgical service but not as concelebrants are to wear choir dress if they are prelates or canons, cassock and surplice if they are not." Regarding "choir dress," found in #1206-1210 of the same Ceremonial, "regular clergy" wear their religious habit in accord with their own traditions. Finally, the Ceremonial says in #65, "Acolytes, readers, and other ministers may wear other lawfully approved vesture in place of the vestments already mentions" (thus, my religious habit is most appropriate for such a ministry).

Next year, as pastor I will inevitably be presiding and I will be in red Chasuble so it will not be a question. The other two singers, since St. Edward Choir does not wear robes, will probably be in suit and tie. (Hey, Dan, start practicing that Narratiion part)

Although, for Stations I may choose to wear the Cassock, cross and chain since that is distinctive for my community. I'm sure Maureen will have an opinion.

There were a couple of students who asked me if they could have copies of my homily last night. Well, all I had was a small piece of paper with a bunch of notes and an outhline crowded on to it. I promised I would type up the notes and make them available.

A written text is never the same as the public proclamation. Words on a page generally do not have the same power as hearing the spoken word. This is just a bare outline. On my notes they were just titles and words. Here I put them into complete sentences.

Also I included a few background notes from the writings of St. Gaspar

St. Maria de Mattias"By silence and prayer we will come to understand much better the preciousness of the cross, made sacred by the precious blood of Cross." 1863

"The Cross is always dear to those who truly love Jesus. Whoever love the Cross gives a sure sign that she holds in her heart a genuine love for Jesus. My dear, let us never move away from the Cross, for this is the key to the treasures of heaven. This is the gate of Paradise." 1847

From St. GasparWhere the Cross is, there also is the mercy of God. St. Vincent de Paul used to say: my Congregation would cease to be if a single day would go by without crosses. Jesus was tempted to come down from the cross: " If you are the son of God ...", but, for our instruction, he taught us to remain with the cross and to die on the cross.

What a great thing it is that the blood of Jesus is even our drink in the Eucharist and how, finally, through the merits of the blood of Jesus Christ we shall arrive in paradise. With your blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation]. You made them a kingdom. . . .

Herein lies the glory of the priesthood, instituted for applying the price of redemption to souls, so that the divine Blood will not have been shed in vain, due to our own fault, as we note in the Holy Scriptures: “Quae utilitas in Sanguine meo?” ... Sanguis Jesu Christi emendabit conscientias nostras ab operibus mortuis. (What gain would my blood be? The Blood of Christ Jesus cleanses our conciences from the dead works.)

We are going to have somewhat limited resources musically for the Triduum at Calvert House this year. This is ok for the chant choir because we are used to doing everything acappella anyway. The Hymnal resources at Calvert House are Gather Comprehensive at Calvert House and Ritual Song at Bond Chapel. The Choir uses the Graduale Simplex for most of their chants, and the stuff in English is put in the program. I print out the grail psalms and point them for the choir.

I was not happy with the available choices for the psalm for Holy Thursday. The choices for the GIA books have never been satisfactory for me, and the Graduale and By Flowing Waters simply does not have the text.

In the old days I was a composer and when in this situation I would just write something. So that is what I did today. I took some motif from a Holy Thursday hymn, chose a chant pattern from the Graduale and hopefully I have fashioned a prayer.

I have always wanted to know how to make the little crosses I see people make with their palms. Well Mary over at Ever New has a link that shows how to make them. It is very easy. I made three of them this afternoon. Thanks, Mary.

[Update] Link deleted as Mary's blog has been taken over by someone else.

I know the song, "Ashes," has become my favorite whipping boy for all my ire on some of these hymns but I found it oddly affirming that it was the first one mentioned in the article. Thanks RC for the link. Ok, Todd, should it still be in a parish repertoire?